TCL earns massage accreditation

Photo Special to Bluffton TodayMassage Therapy Director Denise Van Nostran oversees a student’s use of massage technique during a lab exercise at the TCL New River Campus. TCL offers a one-year, three-semester massage therapy certificate program and is currently accepting applications for fall 2011 entry.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry’s Massage Therapy Program recently earned specialized program accreditation from the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), making it the first and only massage therapy program in South Carolina with this classification.

“We are extremely excited about this accomplishment for the college,” said TCL Massage Therapy Director Denise Van Nostran, LMT, NCTMB. “We have always been dedicated to offering excellence in massage therapy education, and this accreditation adds another level of distinction.”

COMTA program accreditation applies rigorous standards specifically for massage teachers, the curriculum and program management. The organization was formed to establish and maintain the quality and integrity of the profession. In 2002, COMTA was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a specialized accrediting agency, an acknowledgement of its expertise in ensuring quality education and allowing programs to access federal student aid funds.

Out of the nearly 1,500 massage schools in the United States, approximately 100 have achieved and maintain COMTA accreditation.

TCL’s massage therapy program graduates have a 90 percent or better pass rate on licensing exams and are currently employed in medical facilities, spas and in private practices in South Carolina and throughout the U.S.

Applications are being accepted for fall 2011 entry into the one-year, three-semester massage therapy certificate program. Contact Van Nostran at (843) 470-6020 or at dmvannostran@tcl.edu